National Rugby League Round 26 Betting Picks 2026
Round 26 of the National Rugby League begins on Thursday with a full slate of matches. Only two rounds remain before the finals series and the top spot on the ladder has yet to be decided. Four points now separate the top five teams giving each team some extra incentive to walk away with a win this week. The battle for the eighth and final spot is within four points as well. These National Rugby League Round 26 Betting Picks 2026 will get you in on the action as the path crown a champion continues.
This week, we’ll dive into some fun betting angles including try scorers as well as total tries. Even still we’ll keep an eye on some of the more profitable spreads and moneyline bets on the slate.
National Rugby League Round 26 Betting Picks 2026
Melbourne Storm vs. Brisbane Broncos: Tyran Wishart Anytime Tryscorer (+200 via DraftKings)
Wishart has been a solid contributor to Melbourne’s offense scoring a try in three of his last four outings. Better still, he’s been able to strike from varied locations on the field logging tries as a halfback, hooker and at five-eighth. Wishart has been one of the players who has stepped up since the Round 20 departure of Will Warbrick who was Storm’s leading tryscorer before his injury.
A bit of razzle dazzle for Tyran Wishart! 🧙♂️ #NRL pic.twitter.com/XOD8R15zLa
— NRL (@NRL) August 8, 2026
He’ll get to tee off on one of the league’s worst defenses in Brisbane. The Broncos have surrendered the fourth-most points (611) on the ladder this season. They also have the fourth-worst point differential (-194) to go along with that. Goals should be plentiful for their opponents this week as the Broncos are allowing 27 points per match this year.
You may even consider adding Wishart to score the first try of the match at +1600 as well.Wishart has put the first try on the board for Melbourne in each of his last two matches.
Penrith Panthers vs. Canterbury Bulldogs Over 7.5 Total Tries (+104 via Caesars)
Penrith has scored the third-highest total points on the ladder this season. The Panthers offense has been consistently impressive, averaging 4.9 tries per match this year which is the fourth best total in that category. Penrith will have to snap out of a slow patch though, having missed this prop total in four of their last five matches.
It’s a Brand New Day for Brian To’o! 🕷 #NRL pic.twitter.com/cV5HYv7k6T
— NRL (@NRL) August 20, 2026
Canterbury hasn’t exactly lit up the scoreboard this year. In fact, they are in the bottom third of the league in terms of total tries (75) on the season. However, the Bulldogs have gone on a bit of a scoring spree over the last few rounds having two of their last four games sail past this total. This includes a combined 10 try explosion in their last match against the Dragons.
These teams have combined for at least eight tries in each of their last two head-to-head contests. In fact, they cleared this mark when they met back in Round 6 in early April of this year.
Dolphins Over Sydney Roosters (+155 via BetMGM)
One game is all it took for Sydney to fall from the top of the ladder to third place. Last week, the Roosters were stunned by a 25-24 loss to the 14th place Wests Tigers. They now find themselves tied at 38 points with the Warriors and the Panthers. However, their +162 point differential leaves them vulnerable to the Sharks, who are only four points behind, should they slip up even more over the next two rounds. Unfortunately, they draw an opponent this week fully capable of providing enough pressure to make that happen.
The Dolphins backline clicks into gear #NRL ⚙️ pic.twitter.com/oQhqg9vg5j
— NRL (@NRL) August 21, 2026
The Dolphins are peaking at just the right time. They enter this important round having won five straight matches. While none of them were against the better clubs in the league, the Dolphins have proven they do not fear the top of ladder. They bested the Warriors in Round 17 handing the current first-place squad a 26-24 loss. Back in Round 3, they laid waste to the Sharks in a 38-10 rout. Cronulla currently sits in fifth place, one spot behind the Dolphins on the ladder.
On top of momentum, the Dolphins have a favorable history against the Rooster on their side. Sydney had no answers for the Dolphins in a 48-10 Round 15 loss earlier this season.
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